ALTA’s 7th Pan American Safety Summit came to a close today. More than 200 aviation safety professionals from around the world participated in the conference in Panama City, Panama, with the objective to promote safety solutions that are critical to the future of the aviation industry in the Latin America and Caribbean region.
The collaborative actions stemming from key conversations with influential industry professionals on mutual concerns and emerging issues at this Safety Summit have contributed greatly to the advancement of aviation in region. Significant improvements have been made in the Latin America and Caribbean region since the Safety Summit started seven years ago, including greater and closer collaboration among key industry stakeholders, an increase in data-driven analysis, and the implementation of more proactive versus reactive risk mitigation programs.
Participating in the Safety Summit opening ceremony were Panama Civil Aviation Director Alfredo Fonseca, the Minister of Government of the Republic of Panama His Excellency Milton HenrÃquez, CEO Copa Airlines Pedro Heilbron, ALTA Executive Director Eduardo Iglesias, and President of the ICAO Air Navigation Commission Farid Zizi. The closing was presided by U.S. Ambassador to Panama John Feeley.
During the opening session Copa Airlines CEO and ALTA Executive Committee Member Pedro Heilbron delivered an update on aviation in the Latin America and Caribbean region. «The safety of our operations in the region is vital for the entire industry and communities throughout the Latin America and Caribbean region,» said Copa Airlines CEO Pedro Heilbron. «Further teamwork and collaboration among airlines, regulators, operators, manufacturers, and other service providers is key to ensuring the continued positive momentum we have achieved in the region.»
From job creation, to tourism, connectivity, and trade, aviation in the Latin America and the Caribbean region has a substantial social and economic impact on numerous industries and communities. Despite the challenging economic environment in Latin America in 2015 and 2016, over the past 10 years, the region’s aviation industry has produced sustained growth that has led to a doubling in passenger traffic from approximately 100 million passengers to more than 200 million passengers, as well as a doubling in the number of aircraft in operation from approximately 500 to more than 1,100 aircraft. Based on this upward trend, ALTA estimates that the number of passengers and aircraft will double again over the next 10 – 15 years, producing even more jobs, further economic development and growth, and substantial additional opportunities and benefits.
Working groups such as the Regional Aviation Safety Group – Pan America (RASG-PA) are a clear example of the positive results that are possible through collaboration. RASG-PA has contributed greatly to improving flight safety in the Latin America and Caribbean region, including surpassing 2020 targeted paths. This technology, information and data sharing approach is key to the region to identify possible risk trends in order to even better manage the safety of aviation. Started in 2008, RASG-PA now serves as a model program for other RASGs that have started in other regions around the world.
